In His Pocket
by libraryloser
Summary: Frank Longbottom would give Alice anything and everything he has. The problem is... he hasn't got anything. Just the lint in his pocket and the love in his heart. And maybe one more thing... This works as a stand alone one-shot, but is also an outtake of another story. Fluffy and tragic.


**A/N: This is an outtake of my story You've Got an Owl, but you do NOT need to have read that for this to make sense. It works fine as a stand-alone one-shot. This scene is alluded to in that story and I felt like it deserved more than a mention. The end is an excerpt from OotP, and I give full credit for that section to JKR and Scholastic.**

**In His Pocket**

It had been, what, four months? Frank had never dated anyone for that long. He hadn't dated anyone much at all, actually.

The girls he'd fancied had always been distracted by louder boys, more clever boys. There was nothing wrong with him, excepting that he was slightly less fanciable than say, the captain of the quidditch team, or the head boy, or… oh look, those are all the same fellow. And that fellow was certainly not Frank Longbottom.

And why was it that when Sirius Black said "I'm being _Sirius_" it led to complete riotous laughter, but when _he_ said "to be _Frank_," which was a name pun of equal canniness, it always fell flat?

Probably something do to with his hair.

But Alice— she was different right from the start. She was thoughtful and funny and warm and approachable. And _oi_, did he want to approach her.

He considered it on multiple occasions. Usually at breakfast, when he'd see her trying to wrap up a homework assignment she should have done the night before, and she was writing with one hand and holding toast in the other, and jam was dripping onto her book and she hadn't noticed and someone should _tell her_.

Frank could tell her. It was never unusual or uncomfortable to talk to Alice. That was why he hadn't caught on at first. He figured, when you really fancy a girl, shouldn't you feel like you were having a heart attack, and your brain go all mumbly and stupid? But when he talked Alice he felt somehow safe, and valuable and better than his usual self and maybe that should have been his first indication.

Love should improve you. It should make you _more_.

Now he had someone there who would catch his eye with a wink at jokes only they understood, and when he wanted to kiss her she wanted to kiss him just as much, and she would reach for his hand without realizing she was doing it. She made him want to grow up and graduate and start a life, because he'd realized after four months with her that _she was it for him_. No doubt in his mind. It wasn't even scary.

Frank had never been a great speech giver or love-letter-writer or emoter, but he figured she'd understood what he saw when he looked at her.

Apparently, he'd figured wrong.

Behind her winking eyes and her smiling lips she'd been roiling with doubt and he hadn't even noticed, and that was the first thing in their relationship that truly frightened him.

"I just need more," she said. Her eyes shone with tears but her voice didn't waver. "I mean, Lily thought she and Richard were perfect together and now look at them! They—they take each other for granted, they don't even talk!"

Frank felt completely bewildered. "We talk," he said.

"They don't even kiss in public!"

Frank felt his cheeks growing warm. "We kiss in public, Al. We _more_ than kiss in public!"

Alice hiccoughed.

Frank shook his head. "Where is this coming from, Alice? I thought we were… alright."

"We are! But everyone says… everyone says there is a war coming. I'm afraid that there won't be time to sort a relationship once we're out of school. I feel like we have to be everything to each other straight away. Everything or nothing. And I can't ask you to give me that, Frank. It's so… final."

Frank felt something like panic creeping into the back of his mind. Apparently she didn't know that she was _already_ everything to him. That all his plans, since the moment he'd realized he loved her (oh no… had he ever actually said those words to her?), had been her and him together. That this was real and serious and very grown up.

This was final.

"What do you need from me, Alice?" He asked, his voice catching.

Her voice was small as she said "I don't know."

"D'you…" he swallowed. "Do you want me to say we're going to get married? That we will stay together forever and nothing will ever go wrong?" Because he would. He'd do anything to stop her being sad, to take away the frantic hopelessness in her eyes. He shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at the floor.

She hesitated, but shook her head. "Of course I don't expect that. Oh gosh, I feel like I'm being so foolish right now. I can't even tell you want I need. I just need you to give me…. I don't know. _Something_."

Frank stared at her at a complete loss. She needed _something?_ He had nothing. Literally nothing. He was a poor student and all he had, to be honest, was the lint in his pockets and a heartful of love.

Well, maybe not _nothing_. Feeling a brush of paper against his pinkie finger, he grasped at it and pulled it from his pocket. It was a crumpled up Droobles Best Blowing gum wrapper.

He smoothed it out, studying it absentmindedly while he gathered his thoughts.

Then he handed it to Alice. She took it, confusion puckering her brow.

"What's this?"

"Gum wrapper."

She stared at him for a beat of silence, then said "Why?"

Frank shrugged, finally meeting her eyes. "Because it's all I have, Alice. It's not much but… everything I have is yours. You're _it _for me, do you understand?"

Her tears finally spilled over but she was smiling at him, albeit in complete bewilderment. He gave her a half smile in return. Then she was in his arms, shaking slightly and he didn't know if she was laughing or crying or both.

Her voice was muffled against his shirt. "I'm sorry, Frank. I know I've been completely ridiculous. I hate being so insecure."

"Did I not… have I not told you that I'm completely in love with you?"

She pulled back to look at him, surprise on all her features. "No, not yet."

"Well I am," he said, smiling down at her. "I can't believe I didn't tell you!"

A gasp of a laugh escaped her. "I can't believe you didn't, either!"

"Well," he said. "Since I don't want you to ever forget, and since I'm a proper idiot, can you just remember that if I don't say it every day from here on out, but if I kiss you or see you or look at you or… or give you a Droobles wrapper, that I _meant_ to say it?"

She nodded, burying her face in his shoulder again. "Try not to forget, though, alright?"

"I'll try, Alice. Everyday forever."

He could feel her lips form a smile even through his shirt. And he was determined to keep her.

Always.

* * *

_Seventeen years later _

In the Closed Ward of St. Mungo's, Alice and Frank are still together. They haven't told Neville they loved him in awhile. They just haven't been able to. Or they've forgotten.

_J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, p. 514-515._

I—yes, Alice dear, what is it?"

Neville's mother had come edging down the ward in her nightdress... She did not seem to want to speak, or perhaps she was not able to, but she made timid motions towards Neville, holding something in her outstretched hand.

"Again?" Said Mrs. Longbottom, looking slightly weary. "Very well, Alice dear, very well — Neville, take it, whatever it is…"

But Neville had already stretched out his hand, into which his mother dropped an empty Droobles Blowing Gum wrapper.

"Very nice, dear," said Neville's grandmother in a falsely cheery voice, patting his mother on the shoulder. But Neville said quietly, "Thanks, Mum."

...

"Neville, put that wrapper in the bin, she must have given you enough of them to paper your bedroom by now…."

But as they left Harry was sure he saw Neville slip the wrapper into his pocket.

The door closed behind them.

* * *

_A/N: Don't hate me. I love you. -LL_


End file.
